Septura

Brass septet

At a glance

Septura

Brass septet

Virtuoso playing: glossy, brilliantly articulated, audaciously coloured, technically flawless.
Anna Picard, BBC Music Magazine

http://septura.org/

Septura brings together the UK’s top orchestral players, born out of a passion for the awe-inspiring sound of brass instruments. Their creation – the brass septet – is uniquely vibrant and versatile, and aims to harness its intense emotional power to produce transformative musical experiences for audiences around the world.

Biography —

Septura brings together London’s leading players to redefine brass chamber music through the uniquely expressive sound of the brass septet. 

Septura was born out of a passion for the awe-inspiring sound of brass instruments. The ensemble’s creation – the brass septet – is uniquely vibrant and versatile, and Septura aims to harness its intense emotional power to produce transformative musical experiences for audiences. In short, it is pioneering a simple message: music sounds better on brass.

To fulfil its mission Septura has brought together the very best brass players in the UK – holding principal positions in the Royal Philharmonic, London Symphony, BBC Symphony and Philharmonia orchestras – and with their unparalleled skill and virtuosity the ensemble has forged a chamber group described as “dazzlingly polished” (BBC Music Magazine), and now firmly established as one of the best in the world.

Artistic Directors, Simon Cox and Matthew Knight, are two of the most preeminent and prolific arrangers for brass, and together they have created a diverse counterfactual canon: re-imagining great music of the past for brass, and addressing historical imbalances by putting a spotlight on under-represented composers. Looking to the future, Septura is commissioning leading composers such as Roxanna Panufnik to create a rich repertoire of original music for brass septet.

Weaving its ever-increasing repertoire into vivid and captivating live events, Septura continues to break down barriers with musical and cross-arts collaborations, recently working with artists ranging from Cathy Tyson and Derek Jacobi to John Rutter and The Sixteen. The ensemble takes its inimitable innovative programming around the world, touring in Europe, Japan, South America and the USA, as well as performing at the UK’s most prestigious festivals and venues, including regular appearances at London’s Wigmore Hall.

Septura records regular releases for Naxos Records, and the first nine discs have received widespread critical acclaim, described variously as “irresistible” (The Observer), “exceptional” (The Arts Desk) and “brass playing at its most exalted” (Fanfare). Its next recording will highlight the music of female composers, past and present.

Currently Ensemble in Residence at the Royal Academy of Music, London, in 2023 Septura launched its first residential Summer Brass Academy in collaboration with the Rudolfus Foundation to inspire future generations of brass players. The group’s outreach work also includes close collaboration with the Amber Trust, through which they introduce the power of brass instruments to blind and partially-sighted children.

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Reviews —

If you like English pastoral music, and the sound of brass, this album is irresistible

Fiona Maddocks, The Guardian

I heartily recommend Septura to anyone who likes chamber music, even if he/she is not a brass fan in particular. I have certainly been converted to the unique sound world of the brass septet.

Nahoko Gotoh, Bachtrack

The standard is absolutely higher than brass playing has ever been before

Alison Balsom, BBC Radio 2

Virtuoso playing: glossy, brilliantly articulated, audaciously coloured, technically flawless *****

Anna Picard, BBC Music Magazine

British brass playing is the envy of the world, and when you hear Septura you can hear exactly why

Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, Principal, Royal Academy of Music

This is brass playing at its most exalted

Robert Markow, Fanfare

Beautifully intoned

Paul Driver

Some of the most perfect technical execution in brass performance recorded to date

Tom Davoren, Brass Band World

The sound of Septura is exceptionally beautiful – warm and rounded but with dazzling brilliance too when required...the perfection of ensemble, balance and intonation is striking

Nick Barnard, MusicWeb International

An uplifting debut from a magnificent seven *****

Fiona Maddocks, Observer

It’s an inspired idea to take classical pieces and rearrange them for brass septet. It’s a unique combination of instruments, and it produces a unique sound, which I love

John Suchet, Presenter, Classic FM

A recital of pure gold

Ritmo

Beautiful from beginning to end

Barry Kilpatrick, American Record Guide

Selected Discography —

The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker is a mightily impressive achievement

Brassband World

Music for Brass Septet 6: Elgar, Finzi, Parry, Walton

Fauré, Ravel, Debussy: Music for Brass Septet 5

Christmas with Septura

A recital so entertaining that the missing words don’t matter *****

BBC Music Magazine

Gabrieli, Lassus, Palestrina, Victoria: Music for Brass Septet 4

Beautifully intoned

Paul Driver

Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Scriabin, Rachmaninov: Music for Brass Septet 3

Brilliantly done *****

Fiona Maddocks

Handel, Purcell, Rameau, Blow: Music for Brass Septet 2

Dazzlingly polished…this is virtuoso playing: glossy, brilliantly articulated, audaciously coloured, technically flawless

Anna Picard, BBC Music Magazine

Brahms, Bruckner, Mendelssohn, Schumann: Music for Brass Septet

Uplifting debut from a magnificent seven *****

Fiona Maddocks, The Observer
See full discography

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